The Echoes

I

 Julia floated in an endless void, gazing at her featureless surroundings with detached curiosity.

The 5 years and 5 months that she had existed had been strange enough. She had no parents, not because she was an orphan, but because she had been created artificially, by a team of scientists working for the Agency for Anomalous Entities. She had been given no name, only the identifier "C-2" to call her own; it was only later that she chose the name Julia for herself. She and her sister were the most prized creations of the Agency, supposedly loaded with Anomalous DNA that defied conventional understanding, granting them access to a wide range of so-called "4th Dimensional Abilities" along with other powers. Julia didn't know what all that meant, but she did know that her sister, C-1 (or Clara, as she finally decided to call herself), had been able to talk with her mind for as long as she could remember, and recently she showed the ability to lift a bunch of boxes with her mind. Meanwhile, all Julia could do was roll her tongue in funny shapes. They were supposed to be twins, sharing the same genetic template and being born within seconds of each other, but due to something the grown-ups called "dormant genes" they manifested different abilities. A month ago, they both had been assigned to train under an older girl, 4-4, also known as Evie; she was an "empath", which meant she could read and influence the emotions of others. Evie had been a patient and warm instructor, a motherly figure for Julia and Clara; but while Clara's abilities grew stronger and stronger, Julia failed to manifest any special talents.

Julia began to make out features in the void. There were hundreds of rectangles floating in the darkness; Julia realized they were doors. One of them swung open, revealing a swirling vortex of purple light. The very fabric of reality began to shake. Julia flailed her arms, desperately trying to make her way towards the door, but found herself unable to move.

Then, out of nowhere, a young man appeared beside her. She recognized him; he was 0-1, the Agency's top "enhanced operative." Evie talked about him often, and with great admiration. 0-1, like Julia, Clara, and Evie, was designed by the Agency, in his case to hunt down and neutralize anomalous entities that pose a threat to the world. He was the oldest "E-Op" in the agency, at 19 years old, part of the first generation of E-Ops. He had seemed very scary to Julia when they first met; with pale skin and sharp, dark eyes, it was easy to imagine him as one of the creatures he was meant to hunt. Even his nickname, "O", seemed harsh and blunt. But although he was a stern teacher, he was never cruel and taught with the same attitude he maintained in the rest of his life: calm, professional determination.

He held the same attitude here, wearing the same stony expression he always wore as he strode confidently to where the open door was. Julia tried to call out to him, but she found herself incapable of making any noise. 0-1 paid her no mind, and calmly closed the open door. The world stopped shaking, and things returned to normal.

Suddenly, Julia became aware of another presence. She whirled behind her and saw 0-6, also known as Mark. He came from the same generation of 0-1, and was a friend of Evie's too, but Evie talked about him less. Mark was only a few days younger than 0-1, and was built from a similar genetic template, but in contrast to 0-1's cold, professional demeanor, Mark was warm and friendly, always quick to a smile or a joke. But here, something was wrong with him. Mark's face was unnaturally still, almost dead, as he strode towards the wall of doors and began opening them.

0-1 ran behind Mark, closing doors as fast as he could, but every time he closed a door Mark would throw open two more. The world began to shake again; Julia watched, helpless, as more and more doors opened. Shadowy figures began to pour forth from the doors, and 0-1 abandoned the effort of trying to close them. Instead, he ran over to his friend, Mark, who was still throwing open doors in a zombie-like trance, heedless to the chaos ensuing about him. 0-1 drew a machete and whirled amongst the dark figures, shielding his friend from their blows and cutting down shadow after shadow. But they kept coming, rising like an ocean tide, and 0-1 and Mark both fell under the assault, disappearing under the sea of shadows.